World Arthritis Day

Today is World Arthritis Day. I first showed the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 21 years old. I was never really diagnosed with RA because one, I did not go to a rheumatologist and two, it went away and I thought it was just a passing thing. It flared again when I was in my thirties. Again it went away. I should have been thinking it could be RA because my Dad and my Grandma both had RA. I was busy raising kids and living life and just struggled through it. In 2001 RA struck with a vengeance and has never gone away. I am lucky to have a wonderful rheumatologist who provides me with great meds. Most people do not know I have RA because these meds keep me moving. But... it never goes away. I deal with some form of pain or other issue that comes with RA every single day. One thing that I love to do is knit and crochet. I am so lucky to be able to continue to do these activites. When I was discussing my hand hurting at one doctor appointment I reminded my doctor of my yarn activity. He stated, "I will never tell you to stop. You know when to rest but that is a good activity for your hands." Today we are so lucky to have the medicines we do to help us live with all the different arthritis diseases.

 

World Arthritis Day is a day to raise awareness of all the different types of arthritis. One good informative website is www.iaamovement.org . Check it out.